Alarm-clock



(No Model.)

W. D. SMITH.

ALARM CLOCK.

No. 311,540. Patented Feb. 3,1885.

an alarm apparatus and time-movei'nent. Fig.

UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM 1). SMITH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ALARM-CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,540, dated February 3,1885.

Application filed Marclil, 1884. (X0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: Be it known that I, \VILLIAM D. SMITH, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegh eny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Alarm Apparatus for Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, elear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in which Figure 1 shows my improvement applied to 2 is a side view of the apparatus for operating the alarm by the time-movement. Fig. 3 is a front view of the alarm-dial. Figs. at and 5 are the alarm-dial disks. Fig. 6 is the connecting-rod and saddle. Fig. 7 is a modification of connecting-rod and saddle applied to the disks. Fi 8 is the swivel for attaching the connecting-rod to the alarm-movement.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

My invention is an improvement on the alarm apparatus described in two prior patents granted to 1neviz., No. 269,475, dated December 19, 1882, and No. 294,338, dated February 26, 1884.

In the apparatus described in both of my I patents above referred to the alarm apparatus consists of a separate and independent mechanism from the ti inc-movement, operated by its own mainspring or motive power, which is preferably made capable of running as long as the time-movement, so that it need not be wound oftener than the clock itself. Devices are employed which, when set in operation at the required time indicated by the clock, will sound the alarm-bell for a sufficient length of time, and then come to a stop, leaving the alarm apparatus in a proper condition to be operated upon again after the lapse of a period of twenty-four hours, and so on repeatedly until the motive power has run down.

In describing my improvement I shall re fer to the alarm-movement shown in the drawings, premising, however, that my improvement is applicable to any detached alarm device which is operated to sound the alarm by raising and lowering a lever Orstarting arm connected with the alarm mechanism and operated from or by the time mechanism.

In Fig. 1, A is the starting-arm of the alarm apparatus, which, after the alarm has been sounded, is gradually raised by the startingwheel B until it comes in contact with a wire, (I, attached to and projecting from the shaft 7) of the alarm-escapement c, and arrests its vibrations, thus stopping the alarm. The starting-arm A is then gradually raised (while still in contact with the wire a) by a cam on one ofthe disks, D, carried by the sleeve 9 of the alarmdial on the hourhand shaft, whereby the device on the starting-wheel, which arrested the movement of the alarm is allowed to pass the latch c of the startingarm A, so that the alarm shall be ready to operate as soon as the startingarm is lowered sufficiently to release the wire a, and thus permit of the vibration of the alarm-escapement c. The alarm is caused to sound by dropping the alarm-starting lever A, and thereby releasing the wire a. This is effected at regular intervals of time by means of the devices which I will now describe, some of which were patented to me in the Letters Patent above referred to. The alarm dial E, on which are marked the hours from I to XII, in the usual manner, is attached to a tubular sleeve, g, which is split, as shown in Fig. 2', at the inner end, so as to form a spring and thus permit of its being attachedto hour-hand shafts of slightly varying diameters. To the sleeve 9 is rigidly attached a disk, D, of the shape shown in Fig. 4, and loosely mounted on the same sleeve 9 is an other disk, D, of the shape shown in Fig. 5. The loose disk may be held in place by a slight spiral spring, 8. The disks D and D are placed close together, side by side, and rotate with the hour-hand of the clock. The rear disk, D, being fixed to the shaft of the hourhand by means of the sleeve 9, rotates with it continuously, making a complete rotation once in every twelve hours; but the front disk, D, is loose on the shaft, and, by means which I am about to describe, revolves intermittently so as to accomplish one complete revolution in every twenty-four hours. A rod or lever, It, is suitably arranged on the clock mechanism, so that its extremity (I may rest upon the peripheries of the adjacent disks D D, and that it may be connected mediately or immediately with the alarnrstarting lever A in such manner that raising the red It at d may also raise the lever A. In my prior patents the part It was described as a lever, pivoted at one end to the frame of the clock and connect ed with the lever A by a rod, H, which extended from the point midway between the fulcrum and the extren'iity or finger (Z to the end of lever A.

In this specification I will describe and claim a modified form of arrangement of the part R, and of its connection with the startinglever, and it is in this modification that my invention principally consists. The free extremity of the rod It has a finger, d, which projects forward at right angles thereto and rests upon the disks D and D on their upper edges. Each disk has a notch, f, in disk D, and fin disk D. These notches are of the same depth, which is such that when the finger 11 drops into the notches (which can only occur when they coincide) the rod R drops down so far as to allow the starting-lever A of the alarm apparatus also to drop down sufficiently to release the locking-rod a of the alarm-escapement and set it in operation. As the disk D revolves every twelve hours, its notch f comes just so frequently under the linger d, and the alarm would then go off; but as the disk D revolves only once in twentyfour hours, the notches do not coincide on every period of twelve hours, and do coincide on the recurrence of every period of twenty four hours. This is effected by means of two pins, h h, projecting from the periphery of the loose disk D. One pin, h, is placed just in rear of the notch f, and the other pin, h, diametrically opposite the forward end of the notch. (See Fig. 5.) 011 the other disk, D, is a cam-shaped projection, j, diametrically opposite to its notchf, the height of which is that or a little in excess of that of the pins h h from the periphery of the disk. Otherwise the disks D and D are circular in shape and of the same diameter. The notches in the disks have one sidetl1e forward sidestraight, while the opposite or rear side is curved, so that as the disks revolve with the hour-hand the finger d of the rod It will drop down suddenly into the notch; but the opposite face of the notches is inclined and curved, so that as the disks continue to revolve the finger (I may slide up the curved incline and rise out of the notch. The eamshaped projection j on the disk D is designed to raise the finger (I over the pin h or 7b 011 the disk D when it is de sired that the finger should pass the pin without engaging it. The operation of these disks is as follows: lVhen the finger D of the rod R is down in the notches of the disks, the red It and starting-lever A are dropped. Then as the disks continue to revolve in the direction of travel of the hour-hand they travel together until the finger (Z rises out of the notch. It then engages the pin h on the disk D and arrests the motion of that disk, but the disk D continues to travel on for half a revolution of the hour-hand,or six hours,when the cam j on the disk D raises the finger d slightly above the level of the top of the pin 7b. The disk D, being no longer arrested by the finger, commences to travel with the disk D, and they continue to revolve together for another half revolution of the hour-hand, or six hours more. The notch in the disk D is then under the fin ger d ot'the rod It, which, howevencannot enter the notch, because thenotch of the disk D is now on the opposite side of the circumference, while the other pin, 71 of the disk D now comes in contact with the finger (Z and the motion of the disk D is again arrested for a period of six hours, at the expiration of which time the notch in the disk D coincides again with the notch in the disk D, and the cam 011 the disk D has reached thefingerd, which it raises and sets the disk D free to resume its rotation with the disk D. During the next half-revolution, or period of six hours, the two disks travel together with their notches coincident, so that at the completion of the period of twenty-four hours the two notches come to gether under the finger cl, which drops down and starts the alarm. It will thus be seen that when the alarm is set to go off at any hour it will go oif again at the same hour after an interval of twenty-four hours, and not on the next recurrence of the fixed time. If it is desired that the alarm should sound every twelve hours, it is only necessary to remove the disk D or to remove the pins h and h therefrom. By this means the clock can be adjusted at pleasure as a twclvehour alarm or a twenty-tour hour alarm.

In my present apparatus the parts II and R are preferably inadeintegral, the upper end of the rod H being bent so as to form the rod R and finger (1, as shown in Fig. 6. \Vhen so bent, the extremity (Z ofthe rod H rests upon the peripheries of the disks D D, and thus, when the notches ff in the disks coincide, the upper extremityof the rod H drops into the notchesf f, causing the rod II to fall downward, thus depressing the starting-level.- A of the alarm and setting it off.

I11 order to keep the upper end of the rod H in place on the disks, a saddle-piece, I, (shown in detail in Fig. 6,) which is pivoted to the rod II, straddles the sleeve 1 of the alarm-dial E, entering a groove, '6, around its circumference. This holds the end of the rod II in contact with the disks D D, while permitting the alarm-dial E to revolve freely with the hour-hand.

Instead of making the saddle I a loose piece, serving merely to hold the upper end of the rod H in place on the disks, the saddle may be attached to the upper end of the connectingrod H, either rigidly or by causing it to fit so tightly in the loop in the saddle I that the rod will be raised or lowered by the raising or lowering of the saddle I on the sleeve 5 In this case the saddle may be permanently attached to the sleeve 9, straddling the sleeve and resting in the groove 73, so that the sleeve may turn freely in the saddle, and afinger, d, is attached to it or forms part of the same piece of metal as the saddle, which finger projects horizontally fromthe saddle I and rests upon the periphery of the disks D D. This construction is shown in Fig. 7. In this case itis obviously immaterial whether the finger which rests on the disks D D, and which, by entering the notch or notches, operates the connectingrod H, is a part ofthe saddle I or of the rod H. Also,the saddle may be made ofa different shape from that shown in the drawings; but if the rod H fits tightly in the saddle the opening in the saddle must be oblong, so as to allow of its having. vertical motion on the sleeve g, and this is preferable even when the saddle is loosely attached to the rod H, so as to insure the free vertical motion of the rod H in operating the alarm. The lower end of the rod H is extended down to the starting-arm A of the alarm apparatus, and it is bent in any way that may be desired, so as to bring the lower end of the rod H in proper position to be connected with the starting-arm A of the alarm. It may be hooked to the starting-arm, as is the connecting-rod in my former patents; but the mode of connection I am about to describe is preferable.

To the starting-arm A is pivotally connected a small pivoted post or swivel, J, (shown in detail in Fig. 8,) so as to turn-freely on its axis. A hole, a, bored through the swivel J at right angles to its axis, through which the lower end of the rod H is passed, and a screw-hole is tapped in the swivel J in the line of its axis, into which is introduced the screw S. This screw-hole intersects the hole a through which the rod H is inserted, so that when the screw S is screwed down it engages the rod H and holds it firmly attached to the swivel J, and so to the starting-lever A. The head of the screw S may be squared of the same size as the win ding-posts of the clock and of the alarm apparatus, so that it may be turned by the same key.

In order to attach my alarm apparatus to any clock, the alarm movement may be screwed to any convenient part of the clockcase. The end of the rod H is then passed through the hole a in the swivel J on the starting-arm, and the upper end of the rod H is so placed upon the periphery of the disks D D as to rest thereon at right angles to their axes. The saddle-piece I is then slipped over the sleeve 9 of the alarm-dial E in the groove If the alarm apparatus is so located relatively to the time-movement that the swivel J in the starting-arm A is immediately beneath the disks D D, the connecting-rod H may be straight, excepting at its upper end,

(where it is bent so as to rest upon the peripheries of the disks D D;) but if this is not the case, or if any part of the time-movement prevents the use of a straight and perpendicular connecting-rod, the rod H may be so bent (as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1) as to avoid any such obstacle. \Vhen the upper end of the connecting-rod H is resting on the periphery oi" the disks D D and out of the notches ff, and the startingarm A is raised so as to engage the wire a of the alarm-escapement, the screw S is turned down until it presses against the rod H within the swivel J, and thus fastens it to the startingarm A. \Vhen the parts are thus connected, the alarnrdial B may be set at any required hour or time by turning the dial E until the required hour is exactly under the hour-hand of the clock; and when next, after a lapse oft\\'eiity-fo1i-1' hours, the hour and minute hands of the timeauovement indicate the time at which the alarmdial E has been set, the notches ff in the disks will coincide, the bent end of therod H will enter the notches, and the rod H, dropping, will also lower the starting-arm A, releasing the escapement-wire a, and thus set the alarm free to ring the bell. Ifit is desired that the alarm should not go off until more than twelve hours after the time when the alarm has operated, the alarm-dial must be tu rned more than one complete revolution in setting it. When once the dial is set at the desired hour, the alarm will sound at the recurrence of that time at intervals of twenty-four hours.

Although I have described my improvement as applied to a time-movement in which two disks, D D, are used, so as to cause the alarm to sound at intervals of twenty-four hours, I do not desire to limit myself to such use, as it is obvious that it may be applied to.

a time-movement in which a single-notched disk or equivalent device is used, in which the alarm is set off on each recurrence of the time for which the alarm is set, at intervals of only twelve hours, or in case of a clock in which the hourhand makes but one rcvolution in twenty-four hours.

One of the chief advantages of the improvement hereinbefore described is that it is not connected with the frame of the time-movement of the clock, so that the independent alarm-movement may be connected with any clock or time movement the hour-hand arbor of which will receive the sleeve of the alarmdial, without fastening any part of the apparatus to the time-movement. The alarm apparatus can therefore be easily detached or readjusted from or to any clock.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an alarm apparatus for clocks, the combination of one or more notched disks connected with the hour-hand shaft of the time movement, an independent detached alarm-movement, and a rod attached at one end to the starting-arm of the alarm, and having the other or free end resting upon the periphery of the notched disk or disks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

IIC

2. The combination, with a clock or time movement and an independent alarm 1nech anism, ofa connecting-rod attached at one end to the starting-arm of the alarm mechanism, and at the other to the sleeve on the hourhand arbor of the time-movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a clock or timemovement and an independent alarm 1D6Cll anism, of the sleeve g, and disk D or disks on the arbor of the hour-hand, rod H, and swivel J, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

4. In an alarm apparatus for clocks, the swivel J, connected with the starting-arm of the detached alarnrmovement, with a screw l or equivalent device for adjustably attaching thereto the rod which connects with and is I operated by the clock or time-movement, subf stantially as and for the purpose described.

5 The combination, with a clock or timemovement and an independent alarm mechanism, of the rod H, swivel J, and saddle I, constructed and arranged substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

(3. As a device for connecting a time-move ment and an independent alarm mechanism, the sleeve to fit on the hour-hand arbor of the time-movement, having notched disk or disks, the connecting-rod, and a saddle connected with both the sleeve and the connecting-rod, sul'istantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of February, A. D. 1884.

\VI LLl'AM 1). SMITH.

\vitnessesz it. C. \VnnNsrLrLt, W. B. CoRwiN. 

